How to create a strong recovery plan with your psychosocial recovery coach

Most recently, the NDIS introduced psychosocial recovery as one of its support services to people with disabilities. Further information on the new development revealed that it is meant to cater to people with psychosocial disabilities. This means that if you are an NDIS participant with mental health challenges, you can request for access to an NDIS psychosocial recovery coach. 

When given a psychosocial recovery coach, it is their job to help guide you when you are not feeling well mentally. They don’t just tell you what to do. These coaches are trained to work with people like you to create a plan that helps you regain your mental health. 

What is a recovery plan?

A recovery plan is a guide to full recovery that your coach creates for you. This guide is meant to help you become mentally healthier and happier with your life. The recovery plan is meant to help you with your mental health challenges to find a path to total recovery as well as how to get there. The contents of this plan usually has all your goals, the things that make you feel better, the type of support system that you need, as well as how to deal with tough times. 

What are the features of the recovery plan

When created by your psychosocial recovery coach, the recovery plan will act as a complete guide that features the following:

• Your personal goals: Things means all the things that you plan on achieving. 
• Your strengths and hobbies: These are the things that you like to do that give you a lot of joy.
• Your support system: The plan will have a list of the people you need to help you feel safe and strong?
• Your daily routines: All the good things you like to do during the day to make you happy.
• Warning signs of poor health: This goes to show the signs that show when you are feeling unwell or stressed.
• The tools to help you cope: What tools help you feel better when you are having a bad time?
• An emergency plan: This is a guide in the main plan that contains the actions to take and who to call if things feel really bad.

Creating a strong recovery plan with your psychosocial recovery coach

When building your plan, your coach works with you and uses the following steps:

1. The initial planning stage: Introducing yourself

Before the coach starts anything, they will have to know you. They listen to your story and learn about your experiences. It is important that you open up to them as this part influences every other stage of creating the plan. 

2. Setting your goals

In the next stage, you and your coach talk about your goals. This can be simple tasks like doing things to help your mental health. The coach will help you break these goals into smaller steps so they feel easier for you to achieve. 

3. Knowing your needs and support

Everyone needs help sometimes especially when you have mental health challenges. During this step, you and your coach figure out what makes you feel good as well as what makes you feel bad. They will also try to identify any support system such as family, teachers, or maybe your pet. 

4. Developing your recovery plan

In the next stage, your coach will try to create your actual plan. With all the things you have talked about, your coach helps put everything together into one plan that you can easily follow. This plan will include different elements such as:

• Your goals
• Your daily routines
• Things that help you cope
• People who can support you
• Your emergency contacts

The NDIS recovery plan is unique to each participant. This is why your coach will write this plan in a way that you can understand and it may not make sense to another participant. This is because it is not a generic guide. 

5. Getting your plan approved

Once your plan is ready, your coach will help get it approved by the right people. This might include your family, support workers, or your NDIS team. This stage of the plan creation process makes sure that everyone agrees and understands how they can help you succeed.

Starting with your plan and getting support

Now that your plan is ready, you should use it. Your coach will help you to follow the plan step-by-step. They might go with you to new places, help you talk to new people, or remind you of your strengths. This is why they are your coach – as they are there to always guide you every step of the way during your recovery journey.

Reviewing and updating your plan

People change, and so do their needs. This is why your recovery plan should change as your needs evolve. Your coach will check in with you regularly to see what’s working and what’s not. If something needs to change, you can both update your plan.